Coffee giant Starbucks has announced that it will from 2019 block pornographic content on its Wi-Fi service provided to customers for free in all its outlets in the US. While a porn ban is already in place at all its stores, the chain was not actively blocking adult content on Starbucks free WiFi service.
While the news about porn ban at Starbucks first appeared on Business Insider, several US media reports later confirmed the move.
“While it rarely occurs, the use of Starbucks public Wi-Fi to view illegal or egregious content is not, nor has it ever been permitted,” the company told The Verge.
Enough is Enough, a Virginia-based non-profit group, had been exerting pressure on Starbucks for long to filter pornography in its outlets. In 2016, fast food chain McDonald’s changed its WiFi policies after pressure from the same group.
In a statement issued earlier this week, Enough is Enough condemned Starbucks for “breaking” a 2016 promise to block such content.
“Starbucks continues to serve up free, unrestricted Wi-Fi to its customers, opening the door for patrons to view graphic or obscene pornography, view or distribute child pornography (an illegal crime) or engage in sexual predation activity,” the statement read.
The group also encouraged people to sign a petition demanding Starbucks toe the line. The petition had almost 27,000 signatures by Thursday.
In its statement to Business Insider, Starbucks said the company had “identified a solution” to stop access to pornography in all its US stores by 2019. Starbucks said it had tested multiple methods to introduce the filter, though did not specify the particular solution it has zeroed in on.